Pain and guilt can't be taken away with the wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!
Interpretation
Pain and guilt are essential parts of our identity and experiences.
This quote emphasizes that pain and guilt are not just burdens to be eliminated but integral to our existence and personal growth. William Shatner reflects on how these feelings shape our character and help define who we are; losing them might mean losing a crucial part of ourselves.
In practice
In a motivational speech about resilience and personal growth.
What have I done? I've blundered my way through life. So I have my picture on the wall. The minute I die, that picture will start to yellow and fade and eventually be gone. Blown in the wind and become part of the molecular structure of something else. These things we see as "success," they're non-accomplishments.
Marriage is a reflection of your life in general: how you treat people, how you argue, how secure you are in your own thoughts. How vehemently do you argue your point of view? With what disdain do you view the other's point of view?
The ability to breathe the air and drink the water will be what the wars will be about from here on in. And it's coming with alarming rapidity.
Don't be afraid of making an ass of yourself. I do it all the time and look what I got.
Has it ever occurred to you that how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life?
To rewrite history on the bases of hypotheses which have not materialized is not only a fruitless task, but, in my eyes, meaningless.
Well, if Fortune be a woman, she's a good wench for this gear.
Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers in solitude.
If a man thinks he is not conceited, he is very conceited indeed.
The American Dream may be slipping away. We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
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